Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-31
|SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS.
Ignatius Donnelly's Attempt to Prove
Bacon the Author.-A Review of
''The Great Cryptogram."
By Professor I'll omas Davidson.-The Main
Feature of the Oyphcr Explained

NEW YORK, Aug. 2S.-The World con-
tsins very elaborate exposition Of Mr.
Ignatius Donnelly's attempt to dethrone
Shakespeare and award the honor of the
authorship of the so-called Shakespeare
plays to Lord Bacon. The article is writ
ten by Professor Thomas Davidson, q
well known scholar, philosopher and
critic, whose opinion as to Mr.. DonneIR
ly's work cannot fail to carry greas
weight.
Professor Davidson has recently paid
Mr.. DonDelly visit at his home in Hast
| ings, MINI, and examined the manu-
scrip. Of his forthcoming work, the
"Great Cryptogram," and had the main
| fea lures of the cipher explained to him
and obtained permission TO report.
Before examining mr. Donnelly's work,
| Mr.. Davidson WAS an entire sCeptlc in re-
gard to tie Bacon theory; but he now ad-
mitS that he is very much shaken in his
belief that the plays were written by
Shakespeare, and declares that if they
had come down to Us without any author s
name attached, THY would have been IN
hesitatingly attributed to Bacon. He
says he reached this conviction altogether
apart from the cipher.
The article gives brelf summary of
the results reached in Mr.. DOnnelly's
book, which is to be published about the
LIST OF December by the firm of K. S.
Peale & Co., OF Chicago. =
The book is divided into two parts, al
argument ard demonstration. The
/ former collects, arraDges and sums up ell
the arguments that have been put for
ward in the last thirty years in favor of
the Bacon theory and adds large num-
| Der to them.
The author first endeavors to show that
the education and character Of William
Shakespeare were such that it is even
ridiculous 20 mention that he could have
written plays which ere distilled for ell
J the wisdom and learning of the world.
/ He shows that his education must have
been extremely mesgre, while that of the
author OF the plays wss broad and deep.
His account Of Shakaspere's character
will certainly be q surprise to most read
ers. He shows him to have been stepped
il ain ost every kind Of vice, to have
been an adulterer, & usurer, an oppressOr
Of the poor, druDkard, systematic liar
and foTger OF pedigrees, dying in the
prime of life from the results OF & three
| days drunken spree.
He next shows that we have no record
that Shakespeare ever owned library or
even book, and that not g single scrap
of manuscript OF his has come down to
US, MOI even letter to any of the numer-
Gus men with whom he is known to have
been acquainted; nay more, that there is
eXtant no letter addressed to him except
one. asking for loan OF money. There
is nothing 10 show that Shakespeare was
not very nearly illiterate.
Mr.. Donnelly next proves very clearly
that while the author OF the plays was On
accomplished lawyer, there is nothing to
show that Shakespeare ever opened law
| book or was inside lawyers Office eX-
cept on usurious business.
Having demonstrated to his own salts
faction that the author OF the plays Was
not Shakespeare, Mr.. Donnelly next pro-
ceeds 10 prove that he was poet, q
profound and learned philosopher. He
treats OF the geography Of the plays, and
here he brings out some most telling
facts. While neither Stratford where
Shakespeare was BORN nor Avonshtre
are once mentioned IN the plays, Stat
bans, the home of Bacon, is mentioned
| tWe0tY-tnree LlneS.
He next shows that the politics and the
religion of the writer of the plsys ere
identical with B.con's politics and re-
ligion, and that what Bacon declared tc
be his great life purpose is fully exempt
fed in the plays.
chapter is devoted to Bacon's reasons
for concealment, and here comes ol'
some startling facts. 1t appears not only
that Bacon wrote works which he neVel
publicly ackno wledged, but that he is ad-
dressed by one OF his friends IS ta'
greatest wit in England, though nc
known as such by his own name.
Among the reasons for concealmen
Mr.. Donnelly publishes is the politica
tendency of some Of the plays, which wa
TO encourage treason.
The first part Of the work closes witt
8 long list OF parsllelisms between Ba
cons acknowledged works and Shake
spesreen plays, identical expressions
metaphors, opinions, quotations, studies
errors, use OF unusual words, character
style. These parallelisms will occup
, over seventy closely printed pages.
y The result of the whole argument, &C
, cording to Mr.. Davidson, is to leave upo
q the mind strong impression that
, Bacon was not the sole author OF u
! plays he had, at least, principal hand i
r them, supplying the scholarship, the al
! and the philosophy.
q After the argument making the author
a ship of Bacon probable come the demon
: stration; that is, the cipher narrative
which has already aroused so much intel
est in the public.
= The article in the.World tells how Mr.
= Donnelly came to look for q cipher, al
+ the Isborious process By which he FINAL
found it (as he believes. The story
full Of interest.
AS to the cipher itself, Mr.. Davidso
i does not claim to be in a position to er
), tirely satisfy the public, not having re
: ceived from Mr.. Donnelly the u
;, tmate formula Of it. He does, how
ever, express his strong convictio
y that Mr.. Donnelly is neither fraud nc
n a "crank." To clear away any feeling
. this sort on the part of the public, b
\ gives brief account of MIR. Donnelly
i career, and a description Of his simpl
home life in Minnesota. 1t seems ths
. Mr.. Donnelly is quiet, genial, country
- loving, studlous man, devoted to though
- and fond Of 8 good joke. The pIctul
e drawn Of his life on the Mississippi blu
. is charming. 1t being certain that M
& Donnelly is not a fraud, and not likel.